The motivations and definition of success of female entrepreneurs in Malaysia

This thesis analyses the experiences of female entrepreneurs in Malaysia, the specific factors that motivate them to be involved in business and their definitions of success. A review of the literature identifies a major gap in the levels of knowledge and theorising on this subject. The thesis also contributes to an understanding of what makes female entrepreneurship in Malaysia distinctive from female entrepreneurship elsewhere through a literature review, particularly in Asia.

This research will contribute by filling the knowledge gap on female entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Asia. The study focuses on female entrepreneurs in Malaysia and the comparative analysis conducted through a literature review particularly in multiple countries in Asia. This research is important to because that on women entrepreneurs has been mainly conducted in developed countries such as the United States and Europe and there are moderately few studies of women entrepreneurs in Asia (Lee, et al., 2009). There is also insufficient research on the motivations of Malaysian entrepreneurs particularly women entrepreneurs in Malaysia or their definitions of success. The literature that exists is mainly based on evidence and theorising from Western, developed economies. Therefore, this thesis seeks to fill this knowledge gap and explore the motivational factors of women entrepreneurs in Malaysia, a growing economy. What factors influence their decisions to venture into entrepreneurship? What are their definitions of business success? What makes female entrepreneurship in Malaysia distinctive from female entrepreneurship in Asia?

The study is based on semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 40 female entrepreneurs in Malaysia, all of whom are business owners of SMEs. The research used the thematic analysis technique with the help of Nvivo. This study has five super themes, 229 codes, and 436 references. The study developed four conceptual framework models based on the key themes. Each theme was generated through the accumulated concepts and findings from interviewing the participants. Four primary contexts are found to contain the factors that influence Malaysia’s female entrepreneurs to become involved in business ownership: social, cultural, educational, and policy. The analysis shows that most of Malaysia’s female entrepreneurs identify their social context as the most influential when starting a business followed by policy, culture, and education contexts.

The thesis also analyses how Malaysia’s female entrepreneurs define success. The researcher developed six key themes under the super theme of “how success is defined”. These themes included: income for the family, satisfaction in work, financial evaluation, self-esteem, quality of life balance, and contribution to the community. The most frequently mentioned definitions of success included satisfaction in work and 6 financial evaluation, followed by self-esteem and income for the family. Drawing upon evidence in the literature, the analysis found that there are similarities regarding why Malaysian and Asian female entrepreneurs venture into business ownership and their definitions of success. Finally, the research analysed the challenges Malaysia’s female entrepreneurs’ face when running a business. Based on the answers that were gathered from the participants, competition is the main challenge, followed by time management and having enough capital to run a business.

The research developed four conceptual models from the four super themes regarding their definitions of success. Each model is linked to the research objectives. These models identified the distinctiveness of female entrepreneurs in Malaysia and develop new theory from the research findings. A significant contribution of this research, therefore, is the establishment of the new conceptual framework models entitled ‘How female entrepreneurs in Malaysia define success’ and ‘What factors motivate female entrepreneurs in Malaysia to venture into business?’ The models aim to identify the distinctness of the definition of success and motivational factors among female entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Applying these models will add a new theory in the entrepreneurship field, focusing on female entrepreneurs.

The thesis argues that there needs to be more research on female entrepreneurs in Malaysia, their definitions of success and the factors that motivate them to venture into business. Although these findings confirm that female entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Asia are broadly similar, data limitations on Asia mean that care has to be taken with this comparison. Overall, this thesis contributes to the existing body of knowledge towards the topic and the female entrepreneurship field, specifically in Malaysia. Therefore, the thesis recommends further research to allow a more detailed empirical examination to see if these findings can be more generalisable.

The potential implications and significance of this research are explored in relation to what motivates Malaysian female entrepreneurs and how their views on business success compare with the broader Asian context. Moreover, the study broadens our understanding of female entrepreneurship in underexplored regions, contributing to more effective, culturally tailored policies and business support systems. The findings should help inform enhancements in government business policy, educational strategies and support systems, that are set within the cultural and social contexts of female entrepreneurs in Malaysia, with particular reference to their motivations and definitions of success.